Final Stats (HTML) I Final Stats (PDF) | Anthony Evans Postgame Quotes

MIAMI (Feb. 6, 2014) — The FIU men's basketball team (12-11, 4-4 C-USA) drained seven 3-pointers and had four players score in double-digits Thursday night, as the Panthers went on to defeat the UAB Blazers, 78-73, from Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Redshirt senior Rakeem Buckles notched his 10th double-double of the season, finishing with team-highs in points (21, 9-of-13) and rebounds (11). The 21 points is the fifth time time this season he's netted 20-plus. The Miami native recorded a team-high five blocks for the night, along with three steals. Senior Tymell Murphy added 16 points (6-of-9) and six rebounds.

Redshirt junior Dennis Mavin made eight shots from the charity stripe, finishing with 14 points and six boards, along with three steals, while sophomore Jerome Frink contributed 13 points (5-of-11), eight boards and three blocks.

After a scoreless three-plus minutes from both teams to start the game, the Panthers pulled ahead by one, courtesy of a Buckles 3-pointer with 12:50 to go in the half. Junior Marco Porcher Jimenez sank back-to-back shots from long-range, giving the Panthers a 3-point lead with just under 10 minutes. Buckles hit two treys in the first 20 minutes, the second coming at the 6:44 mark, bringing FIU within one point, 21-20. UAB held the lead the rest of the way through and went into halftime with a 32-27 advantage.

Buckles led all players throughout 20 minutes with 11 points (4-of-6) and six boards. Mavin and Porcher Jimenez were tied with six points apiece, while Mavin and Frink also tallied four rebounds each. The Panthers finished the first half shooting 35 percent (8-of-23) from the field and hit 4-of-10 from 3-point land, while converting 70 percent from the line (7-of-10).

FIU opened the second half on an 11-2 run, highlighted by a blocked shot from Frink and a trey from Mavin, as the Panthers led 38-34. After the Blazers tied the score at 40-all, Mavin hit his second shot from beyond the arc in three minutes, putting FIU back ahead, 43-41 at 14:36 to play. In a game that never saw a lead larger than six points, Buckles blocked a Blazers layup, which would have put UAB up by a game-high seven points. Murphy converted the layup on the other end and finished the 3-point play, bringing FIU back within one, 55-54, with 5:45 to play. Redshirt sophomore Cody Mann hit a pivotal 3-pointer, which was followed by a Buckles steal on the following Blazer possession, as Murphy was credited with the tip-in on the other end just before the 2-minute mark. UAB made a one last run in the final minute of action, coming within two points, but couldn't finish.

The Panthers finished the night shooting 49 percent (27-of-55), and converted half of their treys (7-of-14), while hitting 65 percent from the line (17-of-26). FIU dominated defensively, executing 11 blocks compared to UAB's four, while both teams were even with rebounds, 35-35.

FIU returns to action on Saturday, hosting Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m. for Lime Court at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Fans are encouraged to follow @FIUMensBBall on Twitter, and “Like” FIU men's basketball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUMensBBall) for the latest Panther basketball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s anchor institutions, FIU is Worlds Ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU,visithttp://www.fiu.edu/.